Knowing You
by SpontaneousWhimsicality
Summary: Spitfire fix-it, featuring Artemis and other members of the Team. T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**El Paso**

**July 1, 2016**

"Wait, where's – Bart!"

For a second there, she almost said a different name. It wasn't just the brief fear that came with that question, or the familiar emotions that had arisen from when she last spoke those words. It was that face that as the blur of Impulse's – no, _Kid Flash's_ – motion, fast and bright and tumbling forward in a sudden stop, was so characteristic of _him_ instead. How many times had she seen with younger eyes a different Kid Flash clumsily flying forward in a streak of yellow and red, only to look up with a grin on his freckled face and a shrug at the inevitability of it? It was a familiar sight to see the wearer of that yellow and red to fall flat on their face.

But there was something wrong here, because this was _Bart_, whose inherited speedster powers had given him the quick reflexes to avoid tripping like the previous Kid Flash did so often. Watching the young boy tumble forward uncharacteristically and skid along the dusty ground was enough to jolt her back to now and put the right name on her tongue.

"Bart, are you alright?" Artemis gasped, not even noticing that she had closed the distance that was between them when he initially fell. She hated the way her voice sounded at that moment, hoarse and quivering and betraying her.

The young boy shook his head as he sat up, dust flying off his hair in a little cloud, and blinked down at the ground with wide eyes. For a small moment – so small that Artemis barely noticed – the expression on his face was one of absolute panic. Gone was the joking smile, bright light in his eyes, and casually optimistic joke-at-the-ready. One trembling hand rose to hover by his ear and then – the moment passed.

"Ha, moded," the speedster said with mock frustration. "Oh man, don't tell the guys about that. I think I need to fix the tread in these shoes or something, you know? They probably wear out faster for me than – uh – Oh, hey Superboy!" Bart zipped up and to the other boy's side quickly, causing both senior members of the Team to flinch a little at his speed. "Oh man, that thing you did when you threw that one robot through the other? So totally crash!"

Artemis's eyes narrowed as she stood up slowly, patting the orange dust from the wasteland off of her knees. All around them, robotic dogs lay broken and disassembled, scattered across the dirt and rocks, already becoming part of the landscape.

"Uh, thanks," Superboy said to the speedster, throwing a friendly 'New kid' eye roll in Artemis's direction.

Now, pushing away her thoughts of what had just happened, Artemis switched her radio on and said tersely, "Gamma squad to Watchtower."

"This is Watchtower," Batgirl's voice crackled in her ear. "What's your status?"

"Ivo's bots are down outside El Paso," Artemis said mechanically. It still sort of amazed her how smooth and professional things ran compared to five years ago. That was when it was just six kids, a telepathic link, and their best judgment. No, things were much better planned now. But still, if given the chance to turn back the clock, Artemis would do it with no questions asked.

Looking around silently at the warm and dry landscape around her, Artemis observed that this place probably didn't get as much snow as Gotham. And she didn't want to see snow ever again if she could help it.

**Watchtower**

**July 1, 2016**

The room was empty. It had to be – If there was even one other person present, then she wouldn't have even gotten past the doorframe. But luck was on her side, and Artemis had a few minutes to speak her mind to the hologram with a starry backdrop. She could look at that face without crying now – most of the time.

Those first few weeks were not easy, to say the least. No, in fact they were the hardest she's ever experienced. First there was a lot of sobbing into the arms of anyone – Mary and Rudy, Zatanna, M'gann, her mother, even Jade for a few minutes before she got annoyed. And then the rip in her heart settled into a dull aching, always there but not quite so crippling. She forced herself to go through the motions of day-to-day life, which was basically working her part-time job, keeping up with the Team and the Justice League, and registering for school the next semester.

**Gotham City**

**June 30, 2016**

She became Tigress to get some perspective. Maybe as a rejection of her former self, but also as a way to accept her inner darkness while still doing good. Or something like that. However she justified it, this was just the natural thing to do. Artemis had always had him by her side, the two of them fighting crime in perfect coordination. Tigress knew how to fend for herself, to hide what she was feeling, to not put too much trust in anyone. And that was what she needed.

Her lowest point was about a week after what happened. There had been some small-time robberies in her corner of Gotham, nothing major, just some pawn shops and convenience stores. She was patrolling as Tigress, staying in the familiar shadows when the alarm across the street went off. Artemis swung from her fire-escape perch and dealt with the thieves within minutes, not even having to pull out any weapons. With the thieves tied up and waiting, and the police sirens growing closer, Artemis finally had a moment to look around at where she was.

It was a place she had been before, but as an entirely different person. It was one of the same stores she had saved during a robbery five years earlier, part of her first few days as Artemis the teenaged archer. She was just a girl trying to spite her family and make a difference, not suspecting that later that week Batman and Green Arrow and her own mother would be talking to her about joining the Team. Where she met –

Those thoughts alone were enough to bring the dull ache back to a deafening roar, and she found herself running and climbing with frustratingly weak knees and trembling hands to a nearby roof. But that wasn't enough; it wasn't high enough. She needed to touch the sky, to rise out of those grimy streets and just breathe the air and hope that her heart would stop hurting. Only when that was accomplished did Artemis allow herself to sink down to her knees and rip her mask off to wipe at the salt water that was pooling from her eyes.

"What am I doing?" she rasped aloud, holding her tightly clenched fists over her face. "Stop looking for Wonderland; it's gone, okay? And you're not going to get it back . . . ."

She stayed like that for a long time, muscles growing rigid from sitting in place for so long, and although the sobbing eventually stopped the thundering pain was still hanging over everything. She came up here to breathe, but the air just wouldn't make it to her lungs. She came up here to calm down but everything was wrong and everything felt worse and she just wanted to breathe and she just wanted to go back and why couldn't he be here. Her legs carried her shaking body to the edge of the roof and the wind blew and then it felt like a brick wall slammed into her.

"Damn it, Artemis!"

"It's Tigress," she spat out, rolling over and springing up on the balls of her feet. Whatever she had been feeling seconds earlier was gone now, leaving only a tingling numbness behind.

Nightwing sighed loudly as he picked himself up, not reacting to Artemis's defensive posture. He hadn't been on missions for the League or Team since what happened – though Batman of course had to know of his whereabouts – and Artemis was surprised to see him here on a Gotham rooftop as if it was just another day and he had drifted over from Blüdhaven.

"No," the younger hero countered, pulling the domino mask off of his face to reveal eyes that were lifeless from fatigue. "We're not Tigress and Nightwing right now. We're just Artemis and Dick, old friends. And you're going to tell me what the _hell_ that was just now."

"I don't know, okay?" Artemis sighed and swiped up her mask from where she had left it laying on the roof, but continued to hold it in her hands, turning the orange and black face over and over in slow circles. "If you're here to try to do Black Canary's job, maybe you should talk to someone yourself first. No one's heard from you in over a week, Dick."

"I . . . did," Dick admitted quietly, and she jerked her head up sharply to look at him. "You didn't just lose your boyfriend, Artemis. I lost my best friend who I've known most of my life. You of all people should know that that's not something you just bounce back from. I took a short break, and now I'm working again." He sat down with his back against the roof's edge and patted the spot beside him silently. After a few seconds of silence Artemis plopped down next to him, trying to act nonchalant but probably failing. "You're staying with your mom?"

"Yeah," Artemis shrugged, looking straight ahead instead of at him. "She was just getting used to me being alive again, and then I show up at her door with my things telling her that I need a place to stay."

"He spent a lot of time with her, you know," Dick said. "Made it easier for her. She needed that, apparently."

"I know," Artemis nodded, feeling her throat start to constrict. "I call Mary and Rudy every day. It's . . . the least I could do."

"Artemis, he's – " Dick broke off, cleared his throat, then picked up again with a stronger voice. "Wally would kill me if I let you jump off a roof."

She nodded again, and let out a retort to distract from the thrumming in her ribcage. "He'd kill me if I didn't get you back on the Team."

Dick stood up and fixed the mask back over his eyes, saying, "I need a little more time, Artemis. I'm still . . . figuring some things out. Besides, Kaldur's got things under control."

"Yes," Artemis agreed. "But we'd all like for you to come back."

"I know," Dick said, sounding tired. Then he added quickly, "Oh, if Zatanna or Babs call – Well, you can tell them whatever you want. See you later." With that he left, running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop, his swift acrobatic form disappearing into the night.

"Wait," Artemis called out loud, even when he was too far to hear. "Why would they be calling me?"

**New York City**

**July 1, 2016**

Early that morning, Artemis had actually gotten separate calls from Zatanna, Barbara, _and_ Tim, all asking the same question. They needed to know if she'd seen Dick recently, because none of them had heard from him in two days. He had apparently gone back and forth between the two girls' homes, giving each of them half of his thoughts over the past week: Dick just couldn't accept that Wally was dead. Artemis had never considered that something was seriously wrong with him during their conversation on the roof. All things considered, he had seemed like the better held-together of the two of them, especially after what she almost did without even thinking. (No, there was no use dancing around the facts. She had almost leapt off the roof, and Dick had stopped her, so of course she didn't sense that _he _needed _her_ help.) She eventually heard by word of mouth that Batman was keeping a distant eye on him, wherever he was, but it was under everybody's understanding that Nightwing wouldn't be seen in Gotham or the Watchtower or the Ware-home for a while. He had distanced himself as much as he possibly could from everyone.

About a month after moving in with her mother, Artemis relocated again to share an apartment with Zatanna, bringing Brucely along with her. Being with a friend was a small change she knew she needed, and the two girls were able to spend a few evenings together when Artemis wasn't with the Team and Zatanna wasn't with the League. But on the night Artemis returned from defeating Ivo's canine robots in El Paso, Zatanna was away and the apartment was silent.

"Hey, boy," Artemis said, patting Brucely's sleeping head as she walked through the apartment. At the sound of her voice, the dog perked up, wagging his tail happily, but remained sprawled across the couch.

She changed out of her uniform and into a t-shirt and sweats before finding a note from her room-mate on the fridge. _Last minute mission in Rhelasia, will be gone for a few days. We're seeing that new zombie movie when I get back by the way ;) – Z._ Trying to remember what movie Zatanna meant, Artemis plopped down on the couch next to the dog, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the brown-haired speedster and his strange behavior that afternoon. After taking the supercycle to the nearest zeta tube and then debriefing in the Watchtower, Artemis started to notice small little changes in Bart like that brief instant of fear after he had tripped. He walked across the room instead of running, laughed just a little louder than usual, and even blew Jaime off at some point to go on a very important hunt for Chicken Whizzies in the Watchtower cafeteria. Well, that last bit wasn't quite so strange, but still. Something was definitely wrong.

Artemis's mind was made up to interrogate Bart later, but at three in the morning she woke up to a rapid chorus of knocking on the apartment door, so fast it sounded like an echo of gunfire.

"Coming," she called as she scrambled off of the couch, tripping over Brucely, and pulled the door open a crack.

"Hey," Bart said, smiling sheepishly as he looked up at her with his hands in his pockets. Rain was clinging to his hair and clothes, and he suppressed a yawn before continuing, "Can I, um, come in?"

"Sure," Artemis frowned, opening the door slowly. "What's – Bart?" As soon as there was an opening, the boy had jumped forward to hug her around her middle, reminding her once again that he was just a kid. All of the younger members of the Team looked up to her, and she was very used to hugs from the likes of Garfield and Cassie, but there wasn't enough time to get to know Bart like that. Not yet, anyway. Needless to say, this hug surprised her.

"Sorry," he choked out, still clinging to her. "S-sorry. I just – "

"Alright, it's okay," Artemis said automatically, patting his shoulder and not really knowing what to do. "Are you okay?" She wanted to slap herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay, this 13-year-old kid from 2056 was freaking out and crying and for some reason came to _her_ for comfort. "Did you walk here?"

"Well, I walked to the zeta tube," he mumbled, voice quivering only slightly now. "And then from the nearest zeta to here."

"So you – You didn't run," Artemis said, still looking for confirmation.

"N-no. I walked."

Artemis swallowed and took a deep breath. _Zatanna or M'gann would know what to do,_ she thought desperately. _Why'd he come to me? I'm no good at this sort of thing._ But it was too late to do anything, because he was here now and she felt too deeply invested to make him leave, if only for the same reason she still called the Wests. He would have wanted her to help his extended cousin out, even if it was patting his shoulder while he cried and asking mundane questions.

"Did something happen?" she attempted, thinking back to that afternoon and his tumble.

Bart nodded, pulling away from her and turning his face, keeping his gaze fixed on Brucely who was sitting to the side, watching them attentively. "I – " He stopped, swallowed, and squeezed his eyes shut before trying again. "I heard Wally."


	2. Chapter 2

**New York City**

**July 2, 2016**

The sun rose slowly, making the horizon glow with a gentle orange light that inched its way across the city streets, filtered through the window, and shone on Artemis's face. She'd dragged a chair from the kitchen table over to that window and sat with her legs pulled up to her chest, arms locked tightly as if it would hold her together. And she stayed like that, staring out the window and hardly moving. When the early morning sunlight finally reached her face, Artemis stretched her limbs slowly like an awakening feline and turned her stare to the couch. Bart was sprawled asleep across the cushions, with one arm hanging off the edge and the other laying over the dog that was dozing on top of him. They were both snoring loudly.

**New York City**

**July 1, 2016**

" . . . What?" Artemis had hissed the night before, feeling her blood go cold. She had involuntarily pushed the young boy away from her and held him at arm's length, seeing surprise in his face that was only an echo of her own fear. "You're—You're kidding, right? Because that's not funny, Bart."

"I'm not!" he said earnestly, tearing away from her defensively. "I thought you would be the one person that would believe me. I mean, I know it sounds completely crazy but _I heard him_, Artemis. I know I did."

He looked close to breaking, and Artemis told herself to calm down and not make the situation worse. Slowly she closed the front door and stood in front of it, trying to make her heartbeat calm down. Every part of her wanted to believe what Bart had told her—that he had heard Wally, never mind the details for now, that Wally was alive and she didn't have to keep trying to move on and she'd see him again. But there was that small voice in the back of her head that held her back from embracing this idea. It was the voice that prompted her to become Tigress "as a blonde," to move out of the once-shared apartment in California, to have somewhat regular visits with the hologram. The voice that wouldn't let her feel more hurt than she already was.

Artemis swallowed before asking quietly, "And what did he—What did you hear?"

"He said, 'Slow down!' I thought he meant me, so with that and the surprise of hearing his voice I—tripped."

"Yeah. I noticed."

"Do you believe me?" Bart asked, looking up at her again with an expression she couldn't quite place. It was maybe somewhere in between grief and—resignation? That was it. He looked thoroughly defeated.

"I—I don't know, Bart," she said honestly. "I just—I don't know."

He nodded slowly and turned away. "Yeah. Yeah, I get it." Bart began pacing the length of the apartment, obviously itching to move but not ready to run again. "This just wasn't supposed to happen! I mean obviously I had no idea about the disrupters, but I was sure we'd be able to crash the mode with those, just like with the Reach! I should have known that this sort of change would have problems, I should have warned Wally—"

"Bart!" Artemis said quickly, her voice cutting into his rambling and causing his face to flush. His shoulders hunched forward like a turtle shrinking away from the world, and she finally recognized that look of his. He was wearing the expression of someone who had been repeatedly beat down in life and had to grow up too quickly—similar to the mask her face was around his age. All at once she knew that his slight breakdown wasn't just because of the death of his cousin, but an accumulation of a few different things. "You're not _just_ a tourist from the future, are you?"

" . . . No. I'm not."

And about a minute after that he had crashed—as in, fallen asleep. And Artemis sat up all night thinking.

**New York City**

**July 2, 2016**

She thought about her bow. It had served her well for years, through extensive damage and dedicated modification. She had been worried during her mission undercover on Black Manta's ship that she would lose some skill from lack of practice, but an evening in Paris had proved that the motions were a part of her that just came naturally now. But since that day, she hadn't touched the bow again, and it was sitting in a bag of hers along with the old green uniform.

She thought about Barry and Dick. Both of them had been impacted worse than Artemis was. Yes, she had lost her head for a few short minutes on that roof in Gotham, but over the last few weeks it was clear that she was doing better than the other two heroes. Dick was, obviously, missing, or at least pretending to be. Barry kept up his Flash reputation flawlessly, training and working with Bart as the new Kid Flash, but he had a hard time looking at any other members of the original Team who had grown with Wally in so many ways.

She thought about Wally. All the time she thought about him, not just that night, some joke or prank or romantic evening popping into the back of her mind every few minutes. That night especially, though, she felt like she relived every moment they had ever spent together, good and bad, starting with his crash-landing introduction on the floor of the Cave, and ending with his retreating form already half transported via zeta tube by the time she turned around.

Artemis makes a pot of coffee, planning on waking Bart up a little later and convincing him to talk to Barry. Sipping the steaming beverage slowly, she stared at Zatanna's note and made an effort to think about livelier topics. The two roommates worked at the downtown mall, Artemis in a large-chain bookstore and Zatanna in a large-chain department store. Artemis was working the next day, but with Zatanna in Rhelasia their usual shared lunch in the food court would be reduced to just her.

An impatient rapping on the front door startled Artemis so much that she almost dropped her coffee, and she ran to the door quickly to answer it before Bart woke up.

"It's six in the morning," she said as she opened the door, trying to sound convincingly grumpy as if she hadn't already been awake. "This had better be—Jade."

"Hey, baby sister," the older woman wagged her fingers with a smirk. She was wearing civilian clothes, but Artemis could see an edge of green poking out from under her jacket. A giggling baby Lian was balanced on her hip.

"What are you doing here?" Artemis asked, keeping the door half closed with her body blocking the opening. She hadn't seen Jade since—Well, since her undercover mission, when her sister and father had infiltrated Manta's ship to avenge _her._

"Relax, I just need you to babysit," Jade rolled her eyes and held Lian out. Artemis took her niece carefully in her arms before Jade continued, "Try not to have too much fun, I'll be back when I can."

Her demeanor was perfectly convincing, but Artemis knew her sister better than that. She wouldn't hand her daughter over so casually if there was a more convenient alternative—so where was Roy?

"I'm not just here to watch kids, you know," Artemis argued, voice rising. Jade just rolled her eyes and started backing down the hallway.

"What are you up to, Cheshire?"

"Just a little game of cat and mouse."

With a frustrated sigh, Artemis kicked the door shut and looks down at her niece, who already looked so much the combination of Jade and Roy. On the couch, Bart sat with Brucely in his lap and smiled up at them amiably.

"Who's that?" he asked, all smiles and cheer. Not a trace of last night's grief and frustration was visible in that face, which concerned Artemis above all.

"My niece," she answered, still irritated, then added, "She's Red Arrow's daughter. Get your shoes, we're going out for breakfast."

"Crash, I'm starving!" the young boy said, hopping to his feet and sending the dog flying.

As they walked down the street towards a diner Artemis knew about, the phone in her pocket started ringing loudly.

"Here," she said quickly, holding the infant out towards Bart.

"What?" he asked, eyes growing wide with confusion.

"_Take her._ I need to answer this." He cradled Lian in his arms awkwardly, flinching when she let out a shriek of amusement. "Hello?"

"Artemis!" Roy's voice ran out. He sounded like he was running, and generic city noises were audible in the background. "Do you know where your sister is?"

"No, but I just saw her," she answered, then added quickly, "I've got Lian with me."

"Great, thanks. That's one thing at least."

"Roy, what's going on?"

"No idea." He hung up abruptly, leaving Artemis in an even worse mood. She didn't mind looking after her niece, but this was bad timing, and she didn't like the idea of Jade getting caught up in something big with Lian to take care of.

At the diner she got some eggs for herself and two plates of pancakes for Bart, who she sent to the convenience store for some formula for Lian.

"So," Artemis said, bouncing Lian on her knees. "Doing better?"

"Totally," Bart said around a mouthful of food. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well . . . I think you should tell Barry, for starters."

"Uh, no_ way_," Bart told her. "What would I say? 'Hey, Gramps, I know you're still blaming yourself about what happened to your nephew, but I heard his disembodied voice the other day. Also, I'm not crazy.'"

Artemis sighed, because she knew that was expecting a lot of him. It was becoming more and more clear to her that Bart was as deep as an ocean and needed to watch his emotions in a way that didn't come naturally to her.

"Are you . . . _sure_ that you heard him?" she asked carefully, hating the words as they fell from her mouth. "We had all just got through a rough fight, and if you were tired, or hungry – "

"I'm sure," the speedster told her earnestly, "but . . . Maybe we could test it?"

"Test?" Artemis frowned. Secretly she hated the idea. Why couldn't Bart just accept the truth and leave her alone? She didn't want to get her hopes up only to have them crushed. After all, it just didn't make sense for Bart to be hearing him in the desert weeks after what happened. She couldn't think of anything that would explain that, other than the young boy was mistaken.

"Yeah," Bart answered, scooping another bite of pancakes into his mouth. "Like, I could run a few circles and I try to hear him again, I don't know. Maybe carry a recording device – or you – just to prove it."

"Sounds like you've thought about this," Artemis said, pursing her lips.

"I just want to be sure," he said quietly, then shoved another bite into his mouth as an excuse to not say any more.

Silently, Artemis focused on Lian now, holding the cheap formula bottle for her. She hoped silently that whatever was going on, Jade or Roy wouldn't be too long in picking up their daughter. Artemis had never watched her longer than a few hours, and had to go to work the next day from 9 to 3. And of all things, Bart wanted to perform a test – no, more like an experiment. Her eyes drifted to the window where she could see pedestrians walking up and down the sidewalk and cars drifting down the road. It wouldn't hurt to try his idea, she thought finally, if only to satisfy his curiosity and make sure he didn't bring it up again. A little ways down the street, on the other side of the road, she saw the flashing of an alarm system at the front of the First Bank.

"Trouble," she said simply, and Bart spun in his seat to see what she was talking about.

"Oh man, the one time I don't have my – "

"I have mine," she said quickly, glancing around the diner and gesturing to the bag she had brought with her. "Bart, do you know where Green Arrow lives?"

"Oliver Queen? Shouldn't be too hard to find," he said carelessly.

"Then take Lian there, okay?"

Once again, Artemis shoved her niece into the speedster's reluctant arms, then slapped some money down on the table and ran outside. There was a nearby alley that she ducked into to change, going unnoticed by the people on the street who were running from the sound of the alarms. A second after she had slipped into the orange and black material, a barely noticeable blur sped by the alley entrance, headed towards the zeta tube. Bart had the good sense to run; Artemis smiled weakly to herself as she fixed the Tigress mask over her face. She knew she wouldn't be getting a speedster's help with this one.

* * *

**I just wanted to take this moment to say ****_thank you_**** for all of the kind and supportive reviews for this story, because I appreciate every one of them so much. Sorry for the wait in getting this chapter up, but I wanted to take some time and do a little planning so this project won't crash and burn in failure. As for a posting schedule...there is none. But if I ****_can_**** get a chapter up once a week, that's what I'll aim for during summer vacation at least. Again, thank you all so much, and thank you for believing in Wally and Artemis :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**North Magnetic Pole**

**July 2, 2016**

With his tired breath coming out in small white puffs, Dick trekked up the snow bank slowly with his body braced against the wind. Eventually he reached the top, from which the snow-covered remains of a shallow crater were barely visible. He stood and stared at the place for a long time, letting snow pile up on the shoulders and hood of his coat, then all at once scrambled forward down the snow bank and whipped out a portable computer.

After what had happened to Wally, the last thing Dick wanted to do was talk to Bruce. It wasn't that he was upset with his adoptive father, just that he didn't think the Batman would quite understand what he'd been up to while his mentor was on tribunal in Rimbor. So for those first two weeks he went back and forth between Zatanna and Barbara's apartments, calling Tim occasionally just to check on him. Zatanna let him crash on her couch and listened when he talked, but gave him a good deal of space. It was obvious that her main concern was Artemis, and she thought Dick would go back home after some time to absorb what had happened to his best friend. Barbara, on the other hand, forced him to open up in return for her couch – which, by the way, was a little more risky to use since it was in her-father-the-commissioner's home – and to patrol with her on the nights she was 'solo.'

**Gotham City**

**June 30, 2016**

The two of them had chased a group of thugs into a large alley and were picking them off one by one. Only one of them actually had a gun; the rest mistakenly thought they could fight their way out with knives and pipes. Dick's mind was clouded, though. He hadn't slept the night before, and had hardly eaten that day. A lucky blow sent him rolling on the ground.

"Nightwing!" Barbara shouted. "What are you doing?" She punched the nearest thug in the face and ran towards him, but got held up by two more who were trying to get away. An instant later, Dick's assailant was slammed violently backward into the wall. But Batgirl was still fighting and Nightwing was still on the ground.

In the moment of the fight, there was no time to question it. But once all the thugs were unconscious and the police had been called, Dick realized he didn't know what caused the man to get pushed back. Spying a security camera on the street corner that would have caught the entrance of the alley at least, he asked Barbara, "Where's Batman right now?"

"Why?" she asked, voice betraying hopefulness.

"I just want to swing by the manor," he told her.

She sighed loudly, but listened to her radio for a moment before answering, "Batman and Robin are both at a jewel store robbery south of 26th."

When Dick got to the Batcave, he walked straight up to the large super computer and plugged in his portable before searching for the desired footage.

"Good evening, Master Richard."

"What the – Alfred!" Dick clutched at his heart dramatically and brought up a weak smile. "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Nonsense, sir," the butler said with a twinkle in his eye. "This is when I clean up from the previous night." True to his word, Alfred had a ripped cape folded over his arm, and turned to retrieve a broken birderang from under a table.

"Oh. Well, don't mind me, then," Dick said awkwardly, knowing that this man had him thoroughly figured out but was choosing to say nothing.

After finding the camera feed that he was looking for, Dick watched what it had recorded during their fight twice, but it wasn't much help. Some shadows danced along the edge of one of the alley walls, a few flyers fluttered in a breeze, a stray dog trotted into the shot briefly before turning around and leaving.

"Will you be staying for breakfast, Master Richard?" Alfred asked as the footage was rewound again.

"No, Alfred. Not today, sorry." He zoomed in slightly on the entrance to the alley and pressed 'play.'

"Then I believe I will return back to the surface world. Goodnight, sir."

"Okay, goodnight Alfred," Dick said absentmindedly, still staring at the screen. Something about the flyers bothered him. Had he felt a breeze on that street? Heart pounding loudly in his ears, he slowed the footage down to 100 frames per second.

Three adjacent frames showed a faint yellow smudge, almost like a water mark – one at the end of the sidewalk, one near the flyers, and the last in front of the alley.

Dick sat back in the chair with wide eyes that were glued to the frozen image on the computer. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't. There had to be something else going on. How could he make sure? Who would listen to him? No one, of course. It was ridiculous. He had to go, now, and settle this quickly – but were Batman and Robin still busy? And he wanted to avoid Batgirl too. He knew he wouldn't be able to act normally around them. After a few minutes, he reached over to the police scanner and clicked it on. The newest report was just coming in.

_" – pawn shop. Called in by that new one, 'Tigress' – "_

**New York City**

**July 2, 2016**

Tigress darted across the street and around police cars that were already set up outside the bank, ignoring the warning shouts from the few officers that didn't recognize her. It had taken a little while to build up Tigress's reputation in Gotham, because the city already belonged to the Bats and her neighborhood belonged to Artemis the Archer. But the local law-enforcement were gradually getting used to her, displaying the same grudging tolerance as they did for other local heroes. Tigress was earning her place in the world, one small good deed at a time.

She knew that if the police were waiting then the entrance was being guarded, so with a handful of explosive pellets at the ready she charged through the doors and prepared to dodge bullets. Not ice.

"Damn it," Artemis muttered. She threw one explosive at the ice encasing her feet and the other at Icicle Jr. He was guarding the door, while behind him the Terror Twins were standing by the few civilians and employees who hadn't managed to run out of the building. "Why did it have to be you three?" The moment her feet were free, she launched herself at Jr.

"Oh, look, it's _Artemis_," he spat, launching some ice at her and missing by a few feet. Her kick to his shoulder only served to push him back a few steps. She dodged another clump of ice.

There were a multitude of reasons that Artemis would rather be fighting anyone else. Her time undercover on Manta's ship had been hard enough. For two months she gave up her whole life to lead that dysfunctional trio beside Kaldur. They had _fought_ together, watched each other's backs. Now that it was all over, she didn't want a reminder of such a confusing time.

And Icicle Jr. had the audacity to act bitter, as if the transition had been worse on them. Enraged, Artemis drew out her sword and rushed at him again.

"It's Tigress!" she shouted as she brought the blade down. He caught it with his arm, wincing slightly at the slight chink the sword made in the ice.

"We don' care what you're called no more, missy," Tommy Terror said as he grabbed her from behind. Artemis kicked and struggled, but she couldn't get past the super strength.

_Even Superboy and Superman have trouble with these two,_ she reminded herself bitterly. In her belt she had two inhibitor collars, but obvious reasons couldn't get to them.

"Well, lil' sis," Tommy called to Tuppence, who was still standing by the wide-eyed people backed against a wall in terror. "What'da you say? Hostages?"

"Hostages," Tuppence agreed, crossing her arms.

"I think I'm finally starting to like the way you two think," Icicle Jr. supplied. He shaped his fist into a large chunk of ice and aimed a blow at Artemis's head.

_Of course _now_ they learn how to work together_, Artemis thought as she regained her senses at a snail's pace. _Why are they robbing a bank? Manta probably dropped them._ She lifted her head up slowly, and felt the wall against her back and the ice holding her to it. Her head was pounding; she would have liked some ice for _that_ maybe.

"Hurry up back there!" Icicle Jr. shouted towards the rear of the building. He was somewhat turned away from Artemis with one hand held out towards the hostages in the near corner. Two of the hostages noticed that she was awake, but Artemis quickly shook her head to signal that they shouldn't say anything. Now sure she could stay undetected for a little longer, she set about freeing herself from the ice. Her arms were completely trapped in place but her left hand was free and close to her belt. She strained her fingers towards the nearest pocket.

"I don' see you helpin' none!" Tuppence's frustrated voice carried in reply. Artemis wiggled her hand into her belt and grabbed another small explosive. She held it tightly in her hand and reached for an inhibitor collar.

"I'm standing guard!"

A sack of money was chucked at his head rapidly in response to that, followed by Tuppence laughing, "Fine shot, brother Tommy!"

_This is going to hurt,_ Artemis thought, and threw the explosive pellet up at the ice that was encasing her torso and arms. The small explosion knocked the wind out of her and sent hot smoke burning her lungs as she gasped, but it did the trick. Two seconds later she dragged herself up before Icicle Jr. could even figure out what had happened. In his surprise he fired ice at her from afar, but two months of observation and a dutifully-ignored childhood of camaraderie helped her weave through the blasts and get close enough to snap the collar on his neck.

"No – "

He started to shout, reaching a now-flesh hand up to tug at the collar, but Artemis cut him off by shoving him to the ground and covering his mouth with her hand. The ice crystals around his body were rapidly receding, and now that Artemis had the upper hand he wasn't a problem. She looked silently at the door that led to the back of the bank, through which the twins were collecting the money. They didn't seem to have noticed what happened, so she ushered for the people to leave.

"Shut _up_," Artemis hissed, punching Icicle Jr. Green Arrow was right when he said he had a 'glass jaw'; Jr. was knocked out immediately. Now all that was left was the Terror Twins. Great.

Artemis got to the open door before her head started spinning and she had to brace herself against the wall. She could hear Tommy and Tuppence talking and moving around in the other room, but her surroundings were blurring and tilting in a nauseating way. _I can't take them_, she realized glumly. _Not alone_. But she wasn't used to fighting alone. Her usual battle anthem was a blend of green and yellow and red.

"Tigress." A kind hand at her shoulder sent her flying back into battle mode, but she recognized Dinah before it was too late.

"Canary," she breathed. "Did Impulse send you?"

"Yes," the woman answered. She jerked a thump towards Jr.'s still-unconscious body. "He wasn't alone I'm guessing?"

"Terror Twins," Artemis told her with a grimace. The more she stood still the better she was feeling, but now the pain in her head was really becoming a problem.

"You stay here. And cover your ears," Black Canary ordered.

"But I can – "

"Artemis," Black Canary interrupted. "You're bleeding. Just sit this one out for me, alright?"

Artemis brought a hand up to her head as her old combat teacher and mentor's sometimes-girlfriend ducked into the back room. Her fingers came away sticky with blood. She hadn't even noticed that the injury was that bad. Mood falling to dangerous levels, Artemis sat down and shielded her ears against the deafening shriek from the other room, and counted the seconds it took Black Canary to take down both twins.

**Star City Queen Residence**

**July 2, 2016**

"So." Dinah sat down in a plush chair directly across from Artemis and assumed a posture that looked too meticulous to be casual. "How are you doing, Artemis?"

"Please, Dinah, no," Artemis groaned, ducking her head. The two of them were at Ollie's house. He was off on some business trip (and probably League business at the same time), and Bart had apparently left immediately after getting Black Canary. Artemis got a chance to wash the blood out of her hair, take some painkillers, and re-claim her niece. "Can we not talk about serious stuff?"

"Artemis," Dinah said seriously. "I know you're making the effort to . . . continue, and be where you think you need to be. But you don't have to push yourself to do things that you don't think you're ready for."

"Like what?" Artemis asked a little too harshly. All she could think about was how inadequate she had been in the fight that day. The last thing she wanted was for Black Canary to think that Tigress wasn't cut out for the hero business just because her boyfriend 'ceased.'

"Like school, for one," she answers. "No one would blame you for taking some time off. And I think you should definitely take off some time as – "

"You can't! You can't suspend me," Artemis interrupted. "I know I messed up today but that's not me – "

"Wait, I'm not suspending you!" Dinah told her. "I'm putting you on training duty."

" . . . What?" Artemis gripped Lian a little tighter in her confusion. "Training duty?"

"Yes," the woman nodded. "Teaching is every bit a learning experience, and if you're up for it I think it'll be good for you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Isn't training more your thing?"

"Yes, but . . . I think it's good to have different teachers for the sake of gaining different information." She folded her hands and leaned forward in her chair earnestly. "A lot of them are already good at what they do. But Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Impulse, Bumblebee ,and Wondergirl still rely on their powers too much. Plus Static is new, and we may be getting another member of the Team soon."

"Yeah I know but – Wait, what?" Artemis started. "Who?"

"It's not set in stone," Dinah said conspiratorially, "but a certain someone has been begging Ollie to be his new protégé."

They shared a look that Artemis understood immediately. Green Arrow wasn't likely to take on a new student ever again. His first, Red Arrow, only recently dragged himself out of drugs and alcohol in time to find the original Roy Harper, who was kicking it solo and not talking to his former mentor any longer. Artemis hadn't made matters any better by faking her death and coming back, but she was just grateful that Ollie had forgiven her as quickly as he did. Needless to say, the archer was thoroughly convinced that he wasn't meant to be a mentor anymore.

"I'll . . . think about it."

An hour later Artemis was walking to the zeta tube that she'd use to take her and Lian back to New York City. Her head was spinning with all the things she had to do, or wanted to do. Suddenly she didn't see much point in going back to school. Everyone around her had goals, but she just wanted to save people as Tigress and – feel better.

_Did Bart really hear him?_ a voice in the back of her mind pressed. She answered herself immediately: _No. He couldn't have._

Either way, though, Bart thought it was real, which could be a problem. And something was up with Jade, enough for Roy to chase after her. There is no rest for the weary; Artemis was needed, whether she had already recovered or not. With a sigh, she swapped Lian to one arm and pulled her phone out of her pocket. A vague idea was formulating in her mind. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey Roy, it's Artemis. I don't know what the hell is going on, but if it's Shadow business just – Stay out, okay? Jade can take care of herself. Anyway, I'm leaving Lian with Paula."

She paused outside the zeta tube and dialed one last number. Lian was getting fussy, but she didn't have any food with her at the moment. "Hey mom," she said as greeting. "I was wondering if you could take care of Lian and Brucely for a while."

* * *

**Hey everyone. I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for sticking around-I know I've been terrible about updating this. One thing I can promise though: ****_this story will be completed one day._**** I just don't know how soon since I obviously don't work well with deadlines. **

**With that out of the way, thank you to anyone who has reviewed this story! It really makes my whole day better, and I appreciate knowing what people think as I post a new chapter. **

**Some changes: 1) I'm using dates and locations now like they do in the show. Hopefully this will deal with any confusions around the fact that I like to jump around in time and 2) POV's other than Artemis's**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gotham City**

**July 14, 2016**

"I got your message, Mom," Artemis rushed as she closed the front door of the old apartment behind her. "What's – Oh."

Seated at the kitchen table were Paula, wearing her usual serious and hard-set facial expression, Roy, looking tired and annoyed, and Lian, giggling happily from her father's lap. When he heard his owner's voice, Brucely scrambled out from under the table to greet Artemis.

"Hey, boy," she said warmly, crouching down to pat the pit bull's head. Then she looked up at Roy and said, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Looking for your sister," he shot back.

"You mean _your_ wife?"

"Artemis!" her mother said sharply. "We need your help with something."

She sighed and walked up to the table, dropping her back unceremoniously to the ground. "You can't track her." It wasn't a question. Artemis knew well enough by then that if Jade didn't want to be found, she would make it near impossible for whoever was searching. "Why did she even leave, Roy?"

"Your father stopped by," Roy answered. Artemis made note of the accusatory way he said 'your' instead of 'yours and Jade's.' "And I found _this_ after a few days of looking for them." He placed the charred remains of an explosive discus on the table.

"He's hunter her?"

"No, Artemis," her mother said. "She's hunting him."

Artemis looked down at Lian, whose baby face was happy and showed no sign of knowing what kind of situation she had been born into. Roy was a struggling hero and Jade was a struggling villain, so one day Lian would have to make a choice. And her parents wouldn't be the only two people influencing that choice one way or the other.

* * *

Artemis stepped into her old bedroom to make two calls. She had to stop to stare at the Alice in Wonderland poster above Jade's bed, though. When she was younger, Wonderland was just a place. It was a safe haven that maybe wasn't real, but still a nice secret to strive for real life became frustrating. She knew better now. Wonderland wasn't a place; to Artemis, it was a state of being. Wonderland was waking up blissfully happy, having an adventure in everyday activities, and going to bed knowing that she got to do it all over again the next day. With someone else by her side.

The first call was to her work, to let them know she'd be gone for two weeks. Artemis hoped that'd be more than enough time, but knowing Jade it might not be. The second call was to Zatanna, who had been on League mission in Rhelasia for three weeks now, and hadn't contacted Artemis once.

"Hey, Zee, it's Artemis again. You know, your grieving roommate. I'm going to go track down my dad and sister, so if you ever decide to come back and I'm not at the apartment, that's why. Call me back if you can find the time."

When she stepped out of the room fully clothed in her uniform, Roy was already waiting with Lian by the front door. "I've got to get back home," he explained quickly. "But I forgot to tell you where I managed to track them."

"Right," Artemis nodded curtly.

"They started in Star City obviously. Then I was always a day or two behind, but I followed them to Metropolis, Blüdhaven, New York, Central, and then Chicago."

"Okay," Artemis nodded again, her brain already working to find a pattern. _All regularly patrolled large cities_, she realized. _Not the smartest places to chase each other around._

"Bye, Paula. Thanks for watching Lian," Roy called as he left the apartment.

Artemis turned to her mother. "I should get going, too."

"Wait." Paula wheeled her chair up to Artemis and took her daughter's hands in her own before looking her up and down. "So this is Tigress? I liked the green." Artemis sighed quietly but didn't say anything. "Just bring Jade back, alright? Bring both of you back. I'm tired of never seeing my daughters."

* * *

**July 14, 2016**

**Blüdhaven**

Nothing. She kept an eye out for Nightwing, but he wasn't there either.

* * *

**July 15, 2016**

**Metropolis**

Nothing. She stopped in a diner for some breakfast after a night of searching. A nice stranger in a suit bought her a slice of pie. "You look like you've been up all night," he said amiably, adjusting his thick glasses.

"I'm looking for my sister," Artemis confided, knowing that it wouldn't hurt her to have a conversation with the person who bought her breakfast.

"Is she in some kind of trouble?" the man inquired.

"Not exactly. Well . . . I'm not sure," Artemis sighed, keeping careful track of how much she was admitting. "I think she's doing something good for once. Just in her own way."

"You're worried about her," the man observed next.

"Of course I am," Artemis said. "She's my sister."

* * *

**July 15, 2016**

**New York City**

Nothing. She crashed at the apartment for a few hours, and woke up with six missed calls and three voice messages on her phone.

_First missed call: Bart A. _

_[7-15-16, 8:02PM]_

_Second missed call: Kaldur_

_[7-15-16, 8:29PM]_

_"Artemis. This is your friend, Kaldur'ahm. M'gann and Conner and I want to see you before the school year starts. M'gann is already planning what she is calling a 'small get-together,' though I suspect it may turn into a larger even with many of her and Conner's friends from school. Please call back for details."_

_Third missed call: Zatanna Z. _

_[7-15-16, 9:12PM]_

_Fourth missed call: Zatanna Z. _

_[7-15-16, 9:14PM]_

_"Artemis, pick up your phone! I'm sorry if you're mad, this mission turned out longer than expected. Listen, there's something important I think you should know – Hey, will you try calling her? Yeah, she might just be mad at me. Okay – Artemis, just call back first thing you can, okay?"_

_Fifth missed call: Dick G. _

_[7-15-16, 9:15PM]_

_Sixth missed call: Unknown Number_

_[7-15-16, 9:48PM]_

_"Hey sis, listen up. I know since Roy's stopped following me he's probably going to try to get you in on this. Just stay out, okay? I can take care of myself."_

Artemis looked at the clock quickly. It was past eleven. She threw her phone at the couch in frustration and left the apartment.

* * *

**July 16, 2016**

**Chicago**

Nothing.

She skipped Central City. Too many memories.

* * *

**July 16, 2016**

**Keystone City**

All of the cities were highly populated and (generally) in the eastern half of the continental US. Artemis figured that the next closest, Keystone, had as good a chance as any. From the rooftops she searched for any sign of a fight, recent or still going on. Maybe it was just her exhaustion from running around for the last three days, but the sunset on the skyline seemed especially beautiful. Artemis paused a few minutes to watch. _I need to keep it together,_ she found herself thinking. _Keep up with important thing. With people._

Once the sun had fallen under the horizon she continued her search through the city. It was a nice place that she could maybe see herself living in one day – but of course she'd have to check the crime rate first and see if it was worth it.

Finally, something stood out. A small flash of light reflecting off of something on the ground in an alley. Artemis scaled down quickly and picked up the sai carefully. The blade was covered in fresh blood that was dropped from the tip to the ground slowly. _They have to be nearby!_ Artemis looked around the alley quickly and spied some more blood on the ground, as well as a large body-shaped dent in a trashcan. After tucking the sai into her belt for safe keeping, she climbed back up to the roof and looked desperately for a sign of where Jade could have gone.

"I told you not to follow me." Jade managed to surprise Artemis, climbing over the same roof edge and rolling to catch herself as she fell forward. Her Cheshire mask fell off, and she didn't pick it up.

"Oh god," Artemis gasped, seeing the blood pooling from a cut on Jade's forehead. She rushed forward to help her sister up and demanded, "Where is he?"

"Ha. I got rid of him," Jade muttered, weight sagging as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "He's not coming back for a while if he knows what's good for him. Hey, give that back." She tugged the sai from Artemis's belt and secured it in her own.

"I think you have a concussion," Artemis said, looking closer at Jade's head wound.

"Probably."

"Okay. Let's go." Artemis picked up the Cheshire mask and supported her sister as they found a fire escape to climb down slowly. She knew there was a zeta tube in the city, so it was only a matter of getting there and then back to Gotham so she and Paula could properly make sure Jade was alright.

"It was because of Lian," Jade confessed minutes later, while they were making their slow and conspicuous way down the street.

"I guessed," Artemis replied.

"Dad's already thinking about her being in the life." The older sister let out a tiny laugh and continued, "I don't want that . . . Too late to leave because that's not the way it works. But I'm cutting back. I don't want her doing this sort of thing." Artemis never expected to hear anything this honest from her sister, so she attributed it to the head injury. Jade hadn't even told Roy why she took off; she was just the kind of person that dealt with problems on her own, no fuss needed. "Dad got the message though. It's none of his business. Where are we going?"

"We," Artemis huffed, seeing the zeta tube disguised as a dumpster up ahead, "are going to Mom's so we can make sure you don't need to go to the hospital. And then the three of us are going to sit down and have tea because Mom misses you. And then you're going to go home and tell your family that you'll do anything to protect them."

Jade smirked and ducked her head. "Fine. Just this once, sis."

* * *

**July 16, 2016**

**Happy Harbor **

"This is the best beach ever, okay?" Garfield insisted, turning in his chair to look at Tim across the bioship. "There's not a single beach out there as cool as this one."

"Okay," Tim said skeptically, continuing to stare out the window.

M'gann shook her head with a smile on her face, knowing that Garfield's attachment to the beach was purely because they used to go to the private beach on the other side of Mount Justice every day in the summer. Now the mountain was a lot smaller, but the beach was still there and still, technically, private.

"Cassie, Jaime, and Conner said they'd be able to come later," she told the two boys as she navigated the bioship's controls for landing.

"Awesome! We have to make a sandcastle," Garfield announced. He was the first off the bioship once it was safely landed, and Tim followed behind closely, obviously excited but trying to act calmer about it.

M'gann followed at her own pace, burying her toes in sand as she walked and stretching her arms towards the sky. The sun was shining down perfectly, causing light to bounce off of the water without heating up the air too much. It was a great day for going to the beach. Then she heard something that nearly knocked her off her feet.

The telepathic link M'gann established with her teammates was in many ways a long-lasting connection. Even if there was no link actually in place, she still felt a teammate's mind stronger than others, like with Garfield and Tim at that moment. But something she never seemed to get around to telling anyone about was that the Team – the original Team, the six that trained together and grew together years earlier – were so much a part of her that their proximity set up a 'mini-link' without her even having to do anything. She was so much more in tune with their thoughts and emotions, without having to think about it. That's what years of friendship had done.

The voice M'gann heard was one that filled a small gap in her mind like a puzzle piece. It was gone before she realized what was happening, but what she did notice had her knees trembling weakly. Overconfident. Hungry. Fast.

Frozen in place and watching Garfield and Tim run towards the water, she whispered under her breath, "Wally?"

* * *

**Thank you thank you thank you for reviewing and following this story! It means the world to me to get feedback of any kind, so please keep it up :) About the next chapter: Artemis won't be appearing, but there will be three different points of view, one of which is from a very special character that I know we all love ;) Please continue to R&R!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**July 15, 2016**

**S. Rhelasia**

"She didn't answer for you, either?" Zatanna frowned as Dick stepped back into the room.

He shook his head. "No. But it is pretty late over there."

"Yeah," Zatanna said, looking out the grimy window at the surrounding city. She was staying in a two-room office in a bad part of town that the Justice League rented out as a sort of safe house. Since Zatanna's mission had turned out to be something bigger, she'd been making use of the combined bedroom-kitchen and fully outfitted computer room. It was small, but she was trying not to attract attention anyway. "She sounded pretty pissed in that message, though."

It was a few moments later when she heard a reply from Dick. "We can't just keep this from her, Zee," he said. "Artemis has a right to know."

Zatanna sighed and looked down at the photo in her hands, a yellow blur against a brown brick backdrop. Of course _this_ had been the reason no one was hearing from Dick. "This is crazy."

_Is it, though?_ a little voice urged her. _Dead doesn't always mean 'dead.'_ For one, there was her father, whose body was still animate even though he'd never control it again. Wally had been a big help to her after Giovanni had put on the Helmet of Fate. He had explained that her father's mind was still in there somewhere, and maybe he had met Kent Nelson. This face became her greatest comfort in the months after what happened. And then there was the memory of one Halloween evening when she and Artemis had encountered the actual spirit of an actual dead girl who was actually communicating with them. Zatanna hadn't seen any other spirits since then, but one was enough honestly.

_No_, Zatanna thought again,_ Dead doesn't always mean dead, especially in this line of work. _

"You're saying this is Wally?" she asked.

"I'm saying it might be," Dick answered. The cold look she gave him made him shrug and add, "Detective, remember? Don't make any assumptions without evidence."

"Well that's the thing, Dick," she sighed, deciding not to mask her irritation. "You show up here out of the blue while I'm right in the middle of taking down a smuggling operation, with a picture of what _might_ be Wally. And you think we should tell Artemis? If it turns out you're wrong, this could push her over the edge – "

"Okay, okay!" dick interrupted quickly. "We won't tell her – until there's proof. Okay?"

"And how are you getting this proof? Do you even know where to start?"

"Well that's what I came here for. I need your help, Zee."

She pretended to contemplate it just so he'd start to worry, but really her decision was made when he turned up the night before with pizza and a lopsided smile. "Of course I'll help you. After all, we have a history," she smirked.

* * *

**July 20, 2016**

**El Paso**

"So you're sure it said 'cease,'" Bart asked for the tenth time from where he was spread out on the floor. "It didn't say 'die,' it said 'cease.'"

"_Yes_," Jaime sighed, looking away from the TV long enough to roll his eyes. "Hey, hermano, you've been here every day. What's up?"

"What, I can't hang out with my crashest friend from the past?" Bart quipped.

"I'm starting to think I'm your only friend," Jaime said under his breath. He picked up the remote and changed the channel lazily. "Don't you miss the people from your own time?"

"Yeah, totally," Bart lied, his face falling slightly. "But I think it'll – be okay."

Jaime sighed. "Yeah, I _know_ he's lying, shut up." Bart's eyebrows shot up curiously, but Jaime turned off the TV. "Look, hermano," he said. "You told me about what happened with me and the Scarab – an it's cool that the Reach is gone and that won't happen. But dude – What was _your_ future like?"

Bart was silent for a minute, staring at the ceiling in deep thought, before passing a hand over his face and letting it rest over his eyes. "The Reach had already taken over by that point," the young speedster said eventually, his voice heavy. "Most of the JLA was dead – history. There wasn't a lot of time to make friends, and . . . Well, my Dad and Mom and Aunt, and Wally, and a few others from the Team, too – They were part of the resistance. While there was a resistance. But I'd, uh, been on my own for a couple of years."

"Dios mio," Jaime muttered, eyes wide. He was seeing his chatty and optimistic friend in an entirely new light. "So that's why you didn't mind staying here."

"Yeah," Bart laughed a little. "You have no idea how totally crash all of this is." He gestured vaguely with his hand as if referring to his friend's living room. "Listen, Jaime," he said now, voice now taking on a much more mature tone. "When I came back here, I saved my grandpa's life to fix things. And as far as I know, it worked. But I didn't know that saving him would kill Wally."

"Bro," Jaime tried to say, but Bart kept going.

"No, really. That's not the way he died in my time. He lived long enough to train my parents and me. But that was the 'bad' future, I guess . . . and I can't really understand how him dying is part of the 'good' future."

Jaime was silent for one long second, then said simply, "The Scarab said 'cease.'"

Bart sat up quickly. "That's _exactly_ what I'm getting at, hermano! It didn't say 'die,' or 'pass on,' or even 'disintegrate.' It just said 'cease,' and maybe that doesn't mean 'cease life,' right?"

"Wh – Well then where is he?" Jaime asked, face showing that he had no idea what Bart was getting at.

"I don't know," Bart grinned with a determined fire in his eyes, "but I did hear him. He's trying to slow down."

* * *

**June 20, 2016**

**North Magnetic Pole**

The second burst of electricity rippled through his body painfully, but he pushed his legs to keep going forward, faster than he ever had before. For the briefest instant his arms disappeared from sight, and that's when he knew. "Oh, man," he found himself saying. "Artemis is so going to kill me!" He had pressured her out of the hero gig so that they could both avoid dying in the line of duty, and now here he was doing just that. She had only been back from her undercover mission for a day, and now he was leaving her. "And don't even get me started on my parents!" They had never really been thrilled about his being Kid Flash, especially when it got him hurt. He could see the terrified face of his uncle now, and knew there was no point in making any more jokes. "Just tell them," he begged, "okay?"

He was moving so fast now that his body felt light, as if he were flying. Another electrical charge hit him, but he could barely feel it or anything. So Wally West soared forward, letting the arctic scene disappear behind him in a blur of white and gray.

* * *

**?**

**?**

A few agonizing seconds later, Wally realized he was still going. Not 'going' as in 'existing' – well, that too, he figured – but 'going' as in 'running.' And he was getting faster. Images were flying by, and he just barely got a grasp on one before the next would take its place. The Eiffel Tower surrounded by cyclones. Rings of pulsing red energy destroying a city block. Valentine's Day. _It's my life!_ Wally understood suddenly. _My life – backwards._ And what would happen when he got to the beginning? He didn't want to find out.

"C'mon, Wallman," he urged himself, straining to pull back. "Slow down. Slow down. Slow down!"

Fighting in a swamp. Carrying a heart on his back. Tripping on the Cave floor and losing an armful of beach supplies. Four boys standing in a parking lot and looking up at the moon. _This was right before –_ He stopped. –_ Before what?_ Before nothing. Nothing happened after that.

His first day of high school. The day he started his run as Kid Flash. Recreating his uncle's experiment.

A redheaded child in front of a TV. He couldn't have been older than six or seven. _Who's that?_ Wally wondered. On the TV a crimson blur was pulling individuals out of a burning building one by one and depositing them on the street. The boy's face was one of extreme admiration. _What a dork,_ Wally laughed. _I'm running faster than that!_ There was a little nagging sensation in the back of his mind like he had forgotten something, but he pushed it away firmly.

"Finally!" A hand reached through the motion and pulled him forward. Wally looked at the suited figured, who was dressed a lot like the Flash except in yellow.

_Right . . . Flash. And I'm –_

"A life for a life," the crazed man shouted in triumph.

_Who is . . . ?_

"You have your resident!" the man continued, turning away from Wally. He was running, too. "Now let me out!" With traces of lightning clinging to the man in the yellow Flash suit, he was soon lost in the blurred motion that made up the environment.

_His loss_, Wally thought. _I get to stay here and keep running._

* * *

**Time for the usual 'thoughts on this chapter' bit. 1. WALLY. 2. Yes. I ship Bluepulse. But since I know that's not for everyone, they're just going to be bros in this fic. Maybe I'll write a Bluepulse fic one day... 3. I am not an expert on the Speed Force, so sorry if anyone doesn't like the way I described/incorporated it into this. If someone with more Speed Force knowledge would like to explain anything to me, I'm totally open to that. 4. Who can guess who the main villain will be? ;D 5. A new character is being introduced in the next chapter! They were alluded to briefly, and had a few seconds of 'screen time' in season one, but I'm bringing them into this fic because I think if we ever got a season 3 (sob) they'd have joined the Team :)  
**


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